Which to use
“leiteten” and “litten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,648
- “leiteten” frequency rank
- #23,221
- “litten” frequency rank
- 55869
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | leiteten | litten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiten | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs leiden |
Where the eye mixes leiteten and litten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. leiteten runs 8 letters (CVVCVCVC) against litten's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: leiteten vs litten
A purely visual mix-up. leiteten ([ˈlaɪ̯tətn̩]) and litten ([ˈlɪtn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55869, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
leiteten is recorded at frequency rank #32,648, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlaɪ̯tətn̩]. litten is at rank #23,221, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈlɪtn̩].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 55869, this pair ranks #962,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of leiteten vs litten
Shared letters: eilnt. Private to "leiteten": -. Private to "litten": -.
"leiteten" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC · "litten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "leiteten" for "litten" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "leiteten" or "litten" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "leiteten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "litten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #962,581 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "leiteten" and "litten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "leiteten vs letten". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #962,581 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.